Of Coffee and Sparkles
by rumpleswagskin
Summary: The year is 1995 and Barney Stinson works in a coffee shop. Where he meets a girl who changes everything. AU Hippy!Barney meets Robin Sparkles :D CHAPTER FOUR NOW UP!
1. Sunday

**A/N: I had this idea a while back, and I hope it works out okay. Kinda AU at times, but some things will make sense throughout. Hope you enjoy!**

The year was 1995, back when Barney Stinson's ponytail was larger than his conscience. Back when he met a girl who changed his life.

The coffee shop was small and cosy, the type that played soft music and where you knew each of the regulars. There were Laura and Daniel, the sweet teenage couple that stopped by every morning on their way to school, and even little old Ms Bernstein who always shared her morning latte with her cat Tiddles.

All in all, Barney enjoyed his job. The added bonus of course, being that he got to spend more time with his girlfriend, Shannon.

Shannon was the whole package: smart, funny, beautiful, and she even shared his same vegan, non-violent outlook on life. They had both taken their jobs at the coffee shop in order to raise money for when they ran away to the Peace Corps.

And for weed of course.

It was a regular Sunday morning, customers sitting in a haze of steam and the smell of roasting coffee beans. Shannon would be in and out of the shop for the next couple of weeks, a combination of taking care of her sick father and doing work experience. Of course she never planned to have an actual job—she was studying medicine so she could volunteer in helping poor third world countries. Barney sighed in adoration. She was so _dedicated…_

Having not seen her in a while, Barney tried to picture his girlfriend's face. Her pale grey eyes, soft fair hair and sweet features. He missed her so mu—

"Hey! Hippy kid! You're spilling it everywhere!" groaned the businessman on the other side of the counter. Barney was shaken out of his daydreams, exclaiming in surprise when he saw that he had tipped entirely too much milk into the mug and was still currently pouring, the liquid overflowing onto the floor.

"I'm so sorry, sir," he mumbled, hastily wiping it up. The man grunted, looking at his watch. Barney growled under his breath. He had always hated these types of guys, forever on their phones, those annoying headsets on, haughty briefcases… and most of all, he hated their _big, ugly-_

_Suits._

As he scrambled to remake the purple-faced man's coffee, Barney barely noticed the light tinkling of the bell at the shop door. It was only after he had slid the coffee over to the businessman that he actually looked up to see who had come or gone.

And he stopped.

The girl stood just inside the shop door, biting her lip as she looked around for a place to sit. She looked like she'd walked straight out of 1986, wearing a denim jacket, ruffled skirt and leggings. Her hair was blonde and curly, with a random blue streak that matched the blue lace bow she wore on her head.

She was gorgeous, that much was certain. Barney found something cute in her quirky style. And it wasn't just how she looked. Her aura, man… it was crazy. He felt this magnetising _pull_ towards her. All of a sudden, he snapped back to reality. He had a _girlfriend._ Barney Stinson had a _GIRL. FRIEND._ He had no right to be looking at that girl like that. Or thinking those wildly inappropriate thoughts about her…

As she turned around to take a seat at a booth, Barney got a glimpse of the back of her jacket. _Robin Sparkles_, it said. He bit back laughter. Robin _Sparkles?_ What was she, a cleaning product?

It was then that he realized that he would have to go serve her.

Taking the pad and paper in shaking hands, he walked slowly over to her table. She was reading the café's menu, her eyes scanning quickly over the varieties of coffee and cakes. Barney stood right next to her, coughing softly to get her attention. She looked up at him, smiling.

Barney nearly felt the wind knocked out of his chest. She was even prettier up close. He smiled awkwardly back.

"Do you guys sell Wetzel's Pretzels?" she questioned.

He stammered slightly.

"Uh—no. Sorry," he blushed. "But we do have carrot cake!" he blurted out. Barney mentally slapped himself in the face for saying something so stupid. But she grinned even wider, making him feel even more dazed.

"How did you know? I love carrot cake," she said. "One please? And coffee. Black."

He quickly scribbled it down on the pad, making an excuse to get back to the counter. She touched his arm lightly to stop him.

"I'm Robin," she introduced herself. "What's your name?"

"Bar—_chair!_" he exclaimed, pushing her out of the way of a chair leg about to hit her in the head. Daniel, one of the other staff, was bringing in a pile of chairs and turned around once he realized what had almost happened.

"Whoa, sorry ma'am," he apologized. Robin waved him off.

"_Dude_, you really need to start looking where you're going!" Barney groaned, annoyed. Daniel shrugged apologetically and continued carrying the chairs.

Sometime during the time he had pushed Robin out of the way from an oncoming concussion, he had landed nearly on top of her in the booth. She met his eyes and they both flushed.

"Oh, I'm uh, sorry," he stammered. She merely smirked.

"Hey Bar-chair. I'd really like my carrot cake right now," she said, her thickly-lashed eyes flirtatious.

He gulped at her expression and hurried off to grab her order.

*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*

Daniel had now taken his counter shift, after Barney had refused to let him bring in anymore equipment. Robin sat at her booth, staring out the window and absentmindedly humming. Barney didn't recognize the tune, but it was catchy.

Carrying the slice of carrot cake and black coffee, he made his way over to Robin's booth. She turned around and accepted them, taking a sip of coffee and sighing.

"Ahhh, I so needed that."

"Rough day?" he asked. She chuckled.

"You have _no_ idea."

She turned and observed a group of high-class men arguing obnoxiously in the corner and groaned.

"God I hate those stupid _suits_. All that work and no fun," she said.

"I totally agree! They're so annoying and stuck-up."

"They're missing out on what life is really all aboot."

He chuckled slightly.

"You're Canadian!" he grinned. She mock-frowned.

"Darn it. What gave me away?" They laughed together for a few seconds, before he noticed how tired she appeared.

"You look exhausted," he said.

"Being on tour can do wonders to your energy levels," Robin grinned, flicking her blonde/blue curls over her shoulder.

"Tour?"

Robin looked at him, intrigued.

"Maybe if I see you again, I might tell you about it," she smiled.

"I hope I do. See you again, I mean," he stuttered. She blushed slightly.

"So do I."

With that she stood up, brushing crumbs off her skirt, and gave him one last smile before she left the coffee shop, the door swinging behind her. Barney was left dumbfounded in her wake, never having met a girl like her before. He quickly shook off his inexplicable attraction towards Robin, noticing that Shannon had entered the café. He could never be unfaithful to Shannon. He loved her.

Didn't he?

**A/N: Hope you guys are liking so far! There will be a few sections that will sort of explain how this fits in with modern-day HIMYM world. Please drop a review on the way out, it really makes my day! :)**


	2. Monday

**A/N: This is more of a filler chapter than anything :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HIMYM or Barney and Robin **** Oh I do wish though…**

That night, Barney went home with this mysterious "Robin" girl still on his mind. He was confused. He'd seen plenty of pretty girls enter the coffee shop before and barely spared them a second glance. But with Robin… it was different. He felt a strange pull towards her, almost like he was being drawn against his will.

Not that he minded of course.

He settled his mind, telling himself that he loved Shannon. He _loved_ her. He'd only known Robin for a day—he'd known Shannon for years. And plus, he would most probably never end up seeing the denim and glitter clad Canadian ever again.

Barney tossed and turned that night, trying to get to sleep.

*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*

The next morning, just as the night before, Barney believed that he wouldn't see Robin again.

He was mistaken.

There she was, in the same booth, in the same 80's style clothing. Today she wore a striped top, denim skirt and tall socks with bows on them, a white ribbon in her hair. Her face lit up when she saw him and Barney swore his heart skipped a beat.

_Snap out of it, Stinson!_

Still, he had to be friendly. He approached her again.

"Morning, Bar-chair," she smirked.

"Morning, _Sparkles_."

She punched him playfully in the arm.

"Don't make fun of _me_, Granola boy!" He grinned.

"Let me guess—carrot cake and black coffee?"

"That's only if you still don't sell Wetzel's," she joked.

After Barney retrieved her order, he asked the question that had been bugging him since he met her.

"So you're on _tour?_ What are you, touring the country?"

She sighed and spilled the beans.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually quite famous back where I came from. My minor-hit song is at number 21 on the Canadian charts," said Robin.

"Wait, so you're a Canadian teen pop-star?" he exclaimed in surprise. She snorted.

"Yeah, if you wanna put it that way. You're making me sound lame," she said.

"_You're_ making you sound lame!" he laughed.

Now that Barney really got a chance to study her, he noticed that Robin's eyes were a sparkling green-blue, like the ocean. And other random things about her, like the fact that she got a dimple in her left cheek every time she smiled, and that she had a beauty mark on her neck. Her cheeks were rosy from the chill outside. When he pointed this out, she shook her head, vehemently stating that "Canadians don't feel the cold." Barney suggested testing this theory by shutting her in the store's walk-in freezer; then Robin jokingly accused him of being a serial killer. Barney agreed that he had the beard for it.

While he stood leaning against the wall, Daniel called out to him from the counter.

"Hey! Paul's in- you can take your fifteen minute break now if you want." Barney nodded in thanks. Robin seemed to be deliberating something.

"Why don't you sit down with me for a while?" she asked. He hesitated for a second, before realizing that sitting down could hardly be considered cheating. He slid into the booth, across the table from Robin.

"So, tell me about your life as a pop sensation," he said mockingly.

"Well, I'm here in America with my best friend Jessica. Jessica Glitter." Barney snorted.

"Robin Sparkles and Jessica Glitter?" he chuckled. She death-glared him and he motioned for her to continue.

"We're just performing at a few different malls around the States. NYC is our last stop on the tour so we've got a bit of extra time here," she explained. "Then we're back to the Great White North to audition for this TV show."

"Awesome," he said genuinely. She smiled.

"So tell me a bit about yourself, _Bar-chair_," she said, resting her chin in her hands on the table.

"Well, I'm strictly vegan, I'm anti-war and anti-violence and I'm an active member of 'Students against Racism,' 'Friends, not Food,' and 'Whaling is Failing.' I also plan to one day run away to join the Peace Corps in Nicaragua."

"So basically you're exactly what you look like," Robin grinned. He faked being hurt. She laughed. "The Peace Corps, huh?" she said rhetorically.

"Yeah, my girlfriend Shannon and I have been planning it for years!"

Barney just noticed the almost imperceptible change in her expression, the tightening in her jaw and in the corners of her eyes. He let it go, though—it was best she knew.

"So tell me about _you,_" he said.

"Well, of course I'm a major fan of the Vancouver Canucks!"

He looked puzzled.

"Hockey," she said.

"_Ohhhhh_," he exclaimed in recognition. "God, hockey. Gotta be the worst sport ever invented—oh, except for curling."

She looked offended.

"Curling isn't that bad!"

He looked at her like she had just said _"I'm actually an alien and I want to steal all your used tissues and use them for lab testing."_

"_What?_ Curling has _got_ to be the worst sport ever made! I wouldn't even call it a _sport!_"

"It is _so_ a sport!"

They bickered back and forth like this for a while, the banter making them feel like they'd been friends for years instead of days. They hadn't known each other long—but there was an instant connection. A spark between them that ignited conversations of excited animosity. There was never a dull moment or an awkward silence between them. When it finally came time for her to go, it was regretfully. They exchanged numbers; hers scribbled on a napkin and his scrawled on her forearm. He'd had to hold her hand to keep it steady while he wrote it, and his fingers tingled.

He watched the door swing behind her sadly, waving at her as she walked around the corner. He was happy—he wasn't cheating on Shannon, and he had made a new friend. All was good on both sides of the equation.

But if Barney Stinson thought things were fine now, then he didn't realize what was in store for him just around the corner.

**A/N: Heheh. I realize the first few chapters are a little laggy, but they have to at least **_**kind**_** of get to know each other before we get into the deeper stuff ;) I've decided this story will have 10 chapters and the epilogue will be split into 2 parts. Pretty please leave me your thoughts in a review on the way out? I only have three and I'd really like to know what you guys think! **


	3. Tuesday

The next morning, Barney went to work genuinely excited to see his new friend again. At the usual time she came in, he looked eagerly over to her usual booth. To his dismay, she wasn't there yet. He shrugged off his minor disappointment—everybody ran late sometimes, he supposed.

But an hour later, Robin still wasn't there, and he was becoming concerned. She _had_ said that she was coming in today. He asked his boss, Marvin, if he could have a quick break. Marvin was so engrossed in his _Spiderman_ comics that he didn't seem like he particularly cared.

Quickly shrugging off his apron, Barney straightened up his ponytail and stepped outside the shop door, looking both ways to see if he could spot her coming down the path. Left—no, that was a creepy looking gang cracking their knuckles menacingly. Right—no, that was a streaker. The quirkily-styled Canadian popstar was nowhere to be seen. His shoulders slumped. It looked like it was just going to be another humdrum day at the shop. Barney blinked slightly when he realized that this girl was the only reason he had even showed up this morning. He was looking forward to seeing her again. The hippy dismissed this thought as an eagerness between new friends.

Just as he was about to go inside again, Barney noticed a hunched shape sitting on the curb directly out front of the shop. That'd be right, he'd examine perfectly all the other options and neglect to see what was right in front of him. Then he realized- the slumped figure was bedazzled.

Barney sat down on the path beside Robin, trying to see her face. Her mass of blonde curls hid it from him.

"Hey Sparkles. Are you alright?" he asked softly. Her nod was almost imperceptible.

"Just go inside, I'm fine," she said quietly. Barney put his hand awkwardly on the small of her back, attempting to provide what meagre comfort he could.

"I'm not looking to problem solve, I'm just looking to listen," he said. "You know I'm here for you, right?"

She let out a soft, watery chuckle.

"Well, that makes one person," she said. He was surprised.

"I'm sure there are other people out there that love you," he insisted. But then he froze, realizing his slip-up in wording. Thankfully, Robin didn't seem to notice. She finally looked up at him. Barney fought back a shocked inhale.

Her oceanic eyes were brimming with tears, a couple of them already escapees, leaving tell-tale smudges as they weaved down her face. The tip of her nose was slightly red and her lips were puffy and quivering.

She was beautiful.

"It's just… as _soon_ as I think I can trust someone," Robin sniffed, her voice shaking with her tears, "They just_ abandon_ me."

Barney didn't know quite how to respond. Almost as if his arm had a mind of its own, he reached out and his thumb traced the curve below her eye, catching another escaped tear. Her nose twitched in a cute way as she sniffled slightly.

"Let's get you inside," he said, wrapping his arm under hers and around her back, supporting her weight as he helped her up off the ground. "It's freezing out here."

"Canadians don't feel the cold," she whispered, barely audible.

_They might not feel it on the __**outside**__, _he thought sadly to himself.

*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*

Sliding into the booth beside her with a mug of black coffee, a slice of carrot cake and some tissues, he waited for Robin to speak. She gratefully accepted the things, looking sideways at Barney.

"Who taught you to be this sweet?" she asked with a watery smile.

"My mom," he replied. "She always raised me as a gentleman," he smiled fondly. "Now tell me what's wrong."

Her eyes welled up again.

"I've been best friends with Jessica ever since I can remember," Robin began.

"Wait, so this is Jessica _Glitter_, right?" Barney grinned. She nudged him playfully.

"Shut up," she said. "Yes, Jessica Glitter. I can't even remember a time when we _weren't_ friends…" she trailed off. "Anyway, she came to me, y-yesterday…" Her eyes were swimming again. "And she told me that we needed to talk. And then…then she s-said…" Robin was sobbing slightly now. Barney attempted to rub soothing circles on her back.

"What did she say?" he asked.

She looked up at him.

"She said she was pregnant."

Barney blinked, confused.

"Why is that so bad?" he questioned. She chuckled ironically through her tears.

"She told me that because she was having a baby that her life was going to be different now. That she needed to move on and start fresh. That…that she thought I needed to move on too…"

Barney could see where this was going.

"She _didn't_…"

"She told me she never wanted to see me again." Robin was still crying. "That she thought it was for the best. She was the _only_ person in my life who I could fully _t-trust_…" After this, her words melded together into nonsensical mush, and Barney could only rest his arms around her and pull her to him, letting her tears soak into his 100% hemp shirt.

For a while he just held her, waiting for her to cry out all her tears and marvelling at how perfectly she fit into his arms. Some would have thought she was being melodramatic, but not Barney. He knew exactly how it felt when you had nobody in the world that cared about you or even gave you the time of day. It sucked. Majorly.

When Robin's eyes were finally dry, she looked up at Barney.

"I'm not normally like this," she said. "I'm so sorry…" She went to move out of his arms but he held her there, using his finger to tilt her chin towards him.

"Don't be," he said softly. "You can trust me."

At this sudden revelation, she gave a small smile.

As Barney's thumb went to brush away one more tear from the corner of her eye, his hand suddenly shuddered and lingered at her cheek. Her skin was unbelievably soft, and he absentmindedly stroked it with his forefinger. Their eyes locked, and only then did Barney realize how incredibly close they were.

And it needed to stop.

His hand dropped like a ton of bricks.

"I-I should really get back to work," he stammered. Robin too snapped out of her dreamy haze. She agreed hastily.

"Yeah, you're right. And… and I need to get back to my hotel. Thanks anyway… for everything," she said sincerely.

"You're welcome."

When she left the shop, Barney went around the back and slid slowly down the brick wall and onto the ground. He put his head in his hands. _What the hell was going on with him? _That was definitely too close to be considered 'friendly.' He promised himself that he wouldn't allow himself to lose control around Robin like that ever again. Friends. That's all they were—friends. He was _not_ attracted to her. Nope. Not _at all_.

_Lies_, his brain whispered to him.

**A/N: Ooh! Heheheh! Barney's self-restraint is waning… ;) What will happen next chapter?**

**Look guys, I've seen that over 300 people have read this story and I only have 6 reviews. :( It's not very encouraging. So **_**please**_** take just a few seconds of your time on the way out to leave a review! It really makes me happy! :D**


	4. Wednesday

On Wednesday she was back, and without tears. Barney couldn't help but smile when he saw her—it was adorable how clueless she was to the queer stares and whispers she got from her fashion choices. She grinned and waved at him. He attempted to ignore the way his heart thumped harder when she did.

Instead of sitting down at the booth like she usually did, Robin came straight up to the counter and settled herself on a stool.

"Morning!" she said brightly. He smiled back and slid the mug of coffee towards her.

"Feel better today?" he asked.

"Yeah, much. I completely overreacted yesterday. I was so stupid…" She was shaking her head at herself. Barney stopped his nervous polishing of the glass he held.

"No you weren't. You reacted how anyone would if their best friend decided to up and leave one day. You're totally normal!"

She smiled warmly at him in thanks, and he decided to break their prolonged eye contact.

"Well," he cleared his throat, "As normal as a _Canadian_ can be, anyway!" She scoffed and gave him a mock death glare.

It stayed like this for a while, their conversation only interrupted by the occasional customer—Wednesdays were usually pretty dull for the tiny café. Soon enough it was midday, and Paul was calling out Barney's lunchbreak from around the back. He usually only got around half an hour, and didn't have much to do except scoff down a wheatgrass shake and sit idly by a window. But today was different.

"You wanna go for a walk?" asked Robin nervously. Barney shrugged a "why not?" and joined the bedazzled teen popstar as they left the shop together. Being the gentleman he was, he held the door open for her and grinned as she blushed awkwardly from the chivalry. His mind wandered anxiously to Shannon. Walking definitely wasn't classified as cheating. And who was she to dictate whether his friends could be female or not?

"So what kinda music are you into?" he asked her as they walked side by side down the footpath.

"All sorts of stuff!" she replied. "But my favourite song at the moment is _Sunglasses at Night_ by George Clinton."

"Pssh!" Barney exclaimed. "Who writes a song about _sunglasses_? Could you get anymore pointless?" he grinned. "I mean that's like writing a song about _sandcastles _or something."

"_Hah!_ You've got a point, but it's a good song!" she insisted, nudging him. He merely laughed at her until she glared at him through thick eyelashes and he stopped abruptly.

As they continued along the cement path, somehow the odd couple ended up in a heated discussion about who would win in a fight: Chuck Norris, or 'The Frozen Snowshoe,' some Canadian pro-wrestler that Robin was a huge fan of. They stopped only at a small flower stall on a block corner. The denim-clad blonde admired the array of colourful blossoms, while the florist commented on what an adorable couple the two were. Barney didn't even have the strength in him to correct the woman, merely nodding and smiling politely at her in thanks. He was in a great mood— he even ended up deciding to buy Robin a flower. Steering clear of romantic reds and deep purples, he settled on a bright, beautiful yellow daisy, to compliment her sunny personality. She smiled and giggled awkwardly as she accepted the flower, her heart rate accelerating.

Barney glanced at a clock in a shop window.

"Aww, man! It's almost twelve thirty already," he said, disappointed. He would be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy the saddened expression on her face as well. Robin turned to him, a hint of hope mixed with the dejectedness in her eyes.

"I'll see you again tomorrow, right?"

Barney smiled and brushed a blue-dyed curl from her face.

"I don't think my day would be the same if I didn't."

Neither of them realized how close they were both standing. Their hands brushed together softly by their sides and Barney found it impossible to tear his gaze away from her eyes. They swirled in shades of green and blue, catching hints of violet light.

And then she was closing her eyes and he was leaning down and—

_"BARNEY. STINSON!"_

Time froze.

The moment was completely lost as Barney's head whipped round to find a livid, red-faced Shannon glaring at him from across the road. She stormed over to the hippy and looked him straight in the face, her stormy grey eyes watering from anger.

"Shannon! I uh-"

"Don't you _'Shannon!'_ me! How dare you!" she screeched at him. _"How dare you!" _

Barney and Robin stood at a loss for words as the petite girl raged.

"It was nothing! I wasn't going to-"

She cut across him again.

"Cheat on me! Cheat on _me?_ And with this _weirdo?"_ Her voice rose higher and higher as she screamed. People walking by had stopped to give them stares. "Who is she, huh?" she demanded. Shannon turned to Robin. _"Who are you, you slut?"_

The Canadian was at a loss for words, but just as she opened her mouth to retaliate, Barney interrupted.

"Don't you speak to Robin like that!" he growled. His voice quietened as he noted the crowd starting to form around the sight. "You're making a scene."

"I will make a scene if I damn well want to!" she snarled stubbornly. The girl calmed slightly as Barney put a hand on her arm.

"Can we please sort this out in private?" he pleaded.

Shannon reconsidered her retort and nodded curtly. As they walked away, Barney was able to steal one last confused and apologetic glance at Robin, who was still rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.

*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*HIMYM*

Back at the café, Barney tried his best to calm down his hurt and confused girlfriend, and explain what was going on. Unfortunately, he found that rather hard, seeing as he didn't entirely understand what had just happened himself.

So he tried something that he hated doing. Especially to Shannon.

Lying.

"Babe, it's totally not what it looks like," he said. "She's uh, been to Nicaragua. I was talking to her about a children's shelter she's volunteered at, and then suddenly she started going in for it… guess I must've given her the wrong idea. I feel so stupid now for not realizing that she was into me." He tried the regretful and sad angle.

And surprisingly, Shannon bought it.

"Oh my God, baby… I'm so sorry. For everything out there!" she said, snaking her arms around his neck. "Except calling her a slut. That was justified."

Barney's hands tensed slightly.

"Totally," he forced out through gritted teeth. Then he relaxed, smiling at the girl he loved. "So are we good?"

"We're _so_ good!" Shannon smiled back, before attacking his lips with hers. "But one more thing," she said between kisses.

He smiled with affection.

"Anything."

"Obviously you won't be seeing her. _Ever_ again." She kissed him softly.

Barney's blood ran cold. _He couldn't see Robin again?_ The mere thought of it made his heart sink to his stomach. He returned his girlfriend's kisses half-heartedly.

"Barney?" she hummed. "You understand right?"

It was then that Barney made his decision. He loved Shannon, and he would stick by his girlfriend through anything.

"Of course. I'll…I'll never speak to Robin again." The words made his throat tighten slightly.

She smiled.

"That's my man."

As Shannon stretched up and kissed him again, he noted that her lips tasted of coffee and liquorice.

Barney found himself wondering what Robin's lips tasted like.

Probably like strawberries.

**A/N: Sorry for the long gap between updates. Though I hope you liked this chapter! Things will be moving pretty quickly in the next few parts. :) Did you pick up the references to modern-day HIMYM? Leave your thoughts in a review and I will love you forever! **


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